Matthew 14:4   Many have speculated that John could have lived longer had he kept his mouth shut. However, this was the ministry we was called to. He was suppose to call attention to sin so that people would get their hearts right with God before the coming of Messiah. In Antipas’ case, their was much…

Matthew 14:3   Herod Antipas divorced his wife, Phasaelis, and married Herodias. This Herodias divorced his half-brother Philip in order to make the union possible. To understand this fully, one must realize how these persons were related. Antipas was Herod’s son by one woman. Philip was Herod’s son by another woman. And, Herodias, well she was…

Matthew 14:2   Evil men are strange characters indeed! Herod Antipas was the very man who had John killed, and yet he thinks that Jesus is John come back from the dead to work miracles. Never underestimate the influence of superstition in the ‘religion’ of unrighteous ‘religious’ persons. Though Antipas had married his brother’s wife, he…

Matthew 14:1   This Herod must not be confused with his father, Herod the Great. This was Herod Antipas, one of three (or more) who took over sections of Herod the Great’s former dominion. Here he is referred to as the ‘tetrarch,’ a term that means Antipas was ruler of a fraction of what his father…

Matthew 13:58   This is one of many verses that has been commonly misunderstood. Many have, looking at this verse, come to the conclusion that Jesus’ ability to perform miracles rested solely upon the faith of the people he ministered to. These persons have the notion that we somehow cause Almighty God to act by the…

Matthew 13:57   The people of Jesus’ town were being offended by him. This was not his doing, but their weakness. They could not accept that one of their own could be the Messiah. Unbelief is often a very demeaning thing. It causes men to think less of themselves than they might otherwise. Indeed, do we…

Matthew 13:56   Jesus apparently had several sisters as well, though we do not know exactly how many. The people of Nazareth knew all of them, and many of the men may have had them for wives. Again, remember that Jesus’ family did not, at this time, accept his role as the Messiah.   One of the…

Matthew 13:55   Jesus had several family members that we do not hear much about. Evidently, Joseph was fairly well known as a carpenter, though he was possibly dead by this time. The townspeople were familiar with Jesus’ siblings, and his mother, because of the occupation of Joseph. Two of the brothers listed here are seen…

Matthew 13:54   The people in Jesus’ hometown were amazed by his wisdom in teaching and his power to perform miracles. The did not understand how he became like this. He had seemed normal enough to them before. There was apparently nothing in his years in Nazareth caused anyone to think of him as exceptional. Although…

Matthew 13:53   The parables of Christ were stories told to illustrate a point. As in this passage, Jesus uses the word ‘like’ as he begins the story. He says the kingdom of heaven is ‘like’ the story. Two words, then, are important to understand in connection with his parables. The first is this word ‘like’…